


Insult and Intimacy

by SassySnowperson (DramaticEntrance)



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: All those good regency feelings, Alternate Universe - Regency, Attempted Forced Marriage, Escape, Genteel Understatement, Imprisonment, Regency in SPAAAAAACE!, Titles and Scandal and Suitable Matches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-14
Updated: 2019-12-14
Packaged: 2021-01-29 21:00:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21416590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticEntrance/pseuds/SassySnowperson
Summary: Armitage was the bastard son of a viscount who had never formally been recognized. But his father had died (suspiciously) with no other heirs, and Armitage had assumed the title and the name without formal recognition from the Queen. It was a scandalous move that had all the gossips' tongues wagging, and the Queen's advisers muttering about needing to bring the mutt to heel.Of course, the prince had rebelled scarcely a fortnight later, trying for a double parricide and only managing a patricide. The matter of the Viscount of Hux was somewhat overshadowed.Still, Poe felt the bastard (in both the literal and epithetical sense) ached for some legitimacy. To that end, he had set his sights on one Baron Calrissian, who had been offered a mandatory invitation to the Great Citadel at blasterpoint, and who was an unwilling guest there still. And an unwilling guest he would stay, until he became an unwilling spouse, and (unless Poe completely missed his guess) an even less willing corpse.Poe figured the man would be grateful for an alternative appointment.
Relationships: Lando Calrissian/Poe Dameron
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38
Collections: Star Wars Rare Pairs Exchange 2019





	Insult and Intimacy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thedevilchicken](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedevilchicken/gifts).

> Thedevilchicken, I saw your general likes of Regency in Space, and immediately had thoughts about the Baron Calrissian. The rest came from there.

Baron Calrissian was the sort of man that understood that life had its ups and downs. After all, he had once been Baron Calrissian of Bespin, a hard-won title that had been scorched to ash a long time ago by the Duke Tarkin and the Emperor's lapdog, Lord Vader. The Baron liked to think he was a resilient sort, though, and the evidence bore that out. He had sided with the under-supplied and undermanned Rebellion against the then-dominant Empire. He had fought his way up to a General's appointment, and when the fates smiled upon the Rebellion they smiled upon the Baron as well. 

He had been granted a neat handful of systems, so much territory he could have claimed Earl, at least. But the Baron Calrissian had grown fond of the reputation attached to his title, so he had insisted on his tract being known as a particularly large and startlingly independent barony. It shouldn't have been allowed, but he had served the dethroned Princess well, and now that she was Queen, she was inclined to look kindly upon him. 

So yes, with his Queen once again dethroned (this time by her own son, in the thrall of a twisted sorcerer who cast his spell from deep in the Outer Reaches), the Baron Calrissian had to admit that things were not looking particularly hopeful. In fact, his current unwilling stay at the Grand Citadel of one Lord Armitage Hux could perhaps be considered somewhat of a desperate situation. 

But the Baron Calrissian was a man of legend, who knew how to wield weapons and words alike, and he was confident he could turn the situation to his advantage. 

* * *

Poe Dameron understood the power of a good legend. He was, after all, a bit of one himself. Commander of the Black Fleet, a man who could craft a victory out of despair, could bring triumph in impossible odds. The loyal right hand of the Exiled Queen, harbinger of her vision, he was a man who was feared and revered in equal measure. 

His golden luck had perhaps been a trifle tainted lately. Between his capture in the hands of the Prince, the loss of great swathes of his fleet, and his legendary clash with the Duchess Holdo...

Right, his luck had lately been as black as the fleets he commanded. But that was no excuse to give up in despair. The Exiled Queen's Resistance would rise again, and for that, they needed allies. The Queen had set off to find her reclusive brother (and, considering she had now formally disinherited her traitorous son, current heir). Poe had set his sights on a different target—the so-called Lord Hux's hostage. 

Armitage was the bastard son of a viscount who had never formally been recognized. But his father had died (suspiciously) with no other heirs, and Armitage had assumed the title and the name without formal recognition from the Queen. It was a scandalous move that had all the gossips' tongues wagging, and the Queen's advisers muttering about needing to bring the mutt to heel. 

Of course, the prince had rebelled scarcely a fortnight later, trying for a double parricide and only managing a patricide. The matter of the Viscount of Hux was somewhat overshadowed. 

Still, Poe felt the bastard (in both the literal and epithetical sense) ached for some legitimacy. To that end, he had set his sights on one Baron Calrissian, who had been offered a mandatory invitation to the Great Citadel at blasterpoint, and who was an unwilling guest there still. And an unwilling guest he would stay, until he became an unwilling spouse, and (unless Poe completely missed his guess) an even less willing corpse. 

Poe figured the man would be grateful for an alternative appointment. 

It was no great feat to gain entrance to the Citadel. It was an imposing structure, riddled with turbolasers and capable of withstanding siege for more than seven years. But inside was an indolent family that liked their luxuries, and all the strength of a force field mattered not, if those inside opened a passage for any bauble they found amusing.

Poe snuck in with a cadre of entertainers. He had learned enough synth-lyre from his father to perform well enough that his sharp jawline and winning smile covered any further lack of skill. Once in, he sent his loyal droid companion BB-8 (who had snuck in as a handsome new model of the Mantoxian barrel drum) off to hack the hangar force field and give them an easy exit. Poe went skulking through the hallways in search of the inconvenienced Baron. 

Once he had stolen a set of servant's garb and a sonicleaner (replaced with a handful of credits—Poe had no desire to make life more difficult for servants who didn't get a chance to choose their masters) he became nearly invisible, able to pass through the rarefied corridors of power without raising an eyebrow. Lord Calrissian was kept in the sunward wing, said the gossip that passed as currency among the help. 

The room wasn't hard to find, though he did need to distract the guards posted by the door. Poe applied his charms and hastily convinced a floating secretary droid to pretend to have a programming error. With a jerking click, the droid swooped down over the guard's heads, and grabbed first one, then the other of their ornate helmets. It zoomed off down the hallway, the guards both hastened after it, and in the ensuing chaos Poe was able to slip into the room. 

Baron Calrissian was alone, and was asleep. As Poe stole over next to the bed, he was struck by how peaceful the man looked while slumbering. Poe had heard stories about the Baron, and they were a twisted mess of contradictions. He was a disreputable rogue, he was a loyal friend, he was a charlatan and a con artist, he was a savvy business administrator. All the stories agreed he was charming. All of them had additionally neglected to inform Poe that the Baron Calrissian emitted the most adorable soft whine on the exhale of his sleeping breaths. 

The Baron's eyes suddenly flew open, fixing Poe with a narrowed glare, and any illusion of peace was gone. Before Poe quite knew what was happening, the Baron had sprang off the bed and knocked Poe to floor. They were naught but an ungainly tangle of limbs until the Baron clarified the situation by trapping Poe's arm behind his back, pressing Poe against the floor as he hissed, "I'm afraid you'll have to try a little harder to kill me, assassin." 

* * *

Lando was disappointed, really. Lord Hux had been doing an adequate job of ensuring Lando's health and safety up until this point. Lando had figured he'd be able to lead the young man on for at least another two months before he became impatient enough to force the issue and claim that Lando had married him in private. 

Today's youth had no sense of the long game. 

His assassin twisted his head to the side, and gasped out, "Lord Calrissian, no, my name is Poe Dameron, and I..." 

Lando examined his captive a little more closely. Startled, he realized that... "Oh! You're Dame Bey's boy. My apologies, Commander Dameron." Lando released the young man, and helped him back to his feet. Lando absently brushed off the man's shoulders. He had his father's nose, but his mother's hair, Lando decided. 

"Thank you, my Lord," Poe said, flashing Lando a winning smile that was all his own. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. My father and mother both spoke highly of you." Poe executed a neat little bow. "I was wondering if you'd be interested in seeking...alternate accommodations." 

"And give up my Lord Hux's excellent hospitality?" Lando murmured wryly. "I can't imagine why I'd care to do that." 

"Allow me to assure you, I'm even better company." Poe cast a quick glance at the door. "I'm afraid I only distracted your guards for a moment. They'll likely be returning to their posts soon, if not already. I do, however, have an exit secured." 

"Excellent." Lando rolled his shoulders. "I haven't felt up to taking both of them, but if I take the right and you take the left, I think we'll be able to let the element of surprise carry the day." 

"Very good, my Lord," Poe said. 

But before they could put their plan into motion, a commotion in the corridor stayed their action. 

"Where is your helmet?" The nasally tone of the Viscount Hux sounded out. 

Poe's eyes went wide, and he looked around for an adequate hiding place. Lando could have saved him some time. He knew there wasn't any in the bare little room the Viscount had seen fit to house him in. They didn't have much time, and would need to move quickly. 

"My apologies for my presumption," he said, before shoving Poe face-down on the bed, and bringing the hem of the young man's robe shamefully high up that shapely thigh. Lando muttered apologies in his head, as he ripped the front of his own shirt open. He then laid a possessive hand along Poe's calf, and fixed his face with annoyance as the Viscount Hux entered the room. 

The Viscount drew up short at the sight of a servant in disarray on Lando's bed, and Lando's own state of deshabille. "Really, Baron? You're so reluctant to accept my offer, but you feel so free to debauch my servants. Shameful." 

Lando sighed, running his hand up to the soft hollow behind Poe's knee. "I'm disappointed, my Lord. I thought you were finally understanding the nature of an arrangement that would work for me." 

Viscount Hux stopped, raising an eyebrow in Lando's direction. 

Lando gestured over Poe's form. "It's a lovely gift. I thought it was intentional." Lando shaped his tone to extreme irritation, speaking slowly and clearly as if the Viscount were nothing more than an unruly schoolchild slow to understand the rules of the classroom. "You want power, and legitimacy, and lands, and I have all three. Securing the use of them, though, requires the cooperation of my person. So you lock me up and threaten me. But come now, my Lord. You must have realized in your great study of me that I am an indolent soul, not much inclined to hard labor. Make me an offer that lets me live in luxury, distracted by pretty things...." 

Greatly apologizing for his daring, Lando slid his hand up further still, and squeezed high on Poe's thigh, the robe nearly rucked up far enough to reveal his ass. "...And I see no reason we need to continue to make such a fuss. Rethink your marriage contract, Armitage dearest, and I may even be open to appearing at state dinners looking appropriately besotted and supportive." 

"Hng," the Viscount said, doing an admirable job of turning his strangled noise of shock into something almost contemplative. His eyes didn't leave the spot where Lando's hand sat against Poe's skin. 

Lando sent up a quick prayer of thanks that Poe, thus far, had managed to stay quiet and still, despite the indignities being forced upon him. Lando did not care to think of how much apologizing he would need to do afterward. Perhaps Poe liked estates. Lando certainly had a few he could spare, if they both made it out of this alive. 

After a long moment, the Viscount jerked his eyes away from Lando's hand, giving Lando a curious gaze. "I suppose I can spare one servant for the evening." He reached for his commlink clearing his throat as he said, "Captain, please send up two replacement guards to the Baron Calrissian's room. There's been an unfortunate incident with the current set. And have them bring up one of the kits we keep for our guest's pleasure. Just have them set it inside the door, no need to enter." 

"Unfortunate incident?" Lando asked, dread coiling in his belly. 

Viscount Hux gave a thin smile. "I should have been informed of anyone entering the room. But don't worry, Lord Calrissian, I don't blame you for taking advantage of the opportunity. And I look forward to you seeing the benefit of my more intentional gestures of goodwill." 

The Viscount stepped out into the hallway, and shortly after came the sound of two short blaster whines. The Viscount's boots clicked along the hallway as he walked away again. 

Lando removed his hand from Poe's thigh as though he had been scalded. Just as quickly, Poe twisted, sitting up in the bed. He didn't rearrange his robe, and an indecent amount of leg still showed. Not to mention a very...notable bulge. 

Adrenaline is the father of all sorts of peculiar reactions, Lando reminded himself. No need to get excited about this one. With an effort, he dragged his eyes away from scandalous lower half of Poe's body, to the admittedly still very appealing upper half.

"Brilliant thinking, my Lord," Poe said in a rush. "If we move now, we can slip out before the replacements get here." 

Lando agreed, and they moved towards the door. "It seems sloppy," Lando said in a low whisper, as he averted his eyes from the slumped bodies on the floor, "to leave me unguarded, no matter how brief the time." 

"It is, but Armitage has always been too certain of his own intelligence," Poe said, the use of the Vicount's given name an insult, not an intimacy. "He believes he understands you now. Why would you leave when you have a beautiful young plaything in your bed?" 

Poe waved his hand over his body in a jaunty gesture. Lando felt his cheeks heat, and he looked away. "Once we are safe, we'll have to discuss how I can appropriately convey my apologies. I took terrible liberties." 

"Lord Calrissian—" Poe started to say. 

Lando cut him off with a wave. "Lando, please," he offered, an intimacy, not an insult. "It's the least I can grant you, Commander, given the circumstances." 

"Well, then, I suppose any man who's had his hand as far up my thigh as you have should call me Poe." Poe inclined his head with a cheerful grin. 

"Alright then, Poe," Lando replied, relaxing. So long as Poe took it as an easy joke, Lando would be all too happy to follow his lead. 

They made their way down to the hanger, and a friendly-looking round droid trundled up to them, happily beeping that there was a sleek little luxury yacht with shamefully loose defense protocols, and if Lando and Poe would care to step this way… 

"I think your droid may be a bit of a libertine," Lando said approvingly, as he looked at the plush accommodations.

"Beebee is helping to rescue you, don't go casting aspersions on their good name," Poe shot back as he flung himself into the pilot's seat and started the yacht's launch sequence with startling speed.

"Libertine is a compliment," Lando said, more deliberately settling into the co-pilot's seat. "Takes one to know one and all." 

Poe gave a half-smile at that, which turned into a dazzling full grin as the repulsers started flaring. "Alright, let’s see what this girl can _do_." 

Poe took the yacht from a standstill to a sprint in the blink of an eye. Lando couldn't help the laugh pulled out of him as he was thrown back against the chair. Not since he had last flown with the Queen Organa's late consort had he enjoyed such reckless flight, and the thought of it put a fond lump in his throat as he looked over at Poe's determined eyes and skilled hands. 

There was some excitement as they tried to leave. The Grand Citadel was equipped with more than its fair measure of turbolasers, and it was painfully obvious that someone had at least noticed the yacht was gone, if not the fact that Lando was as well. Lando reached over and started fiddling with the shield power flow, letting Poe focus on the flying, as Lando ensured their rear shields were strengthened. 

"Good," Poe said in clipped, breathless excitement, as he threw the ship into a quick spiral that took the yacht in front of a large frigate. Lando winced in sympathy as the turbolaser fire that had been tracking the yacht thudded into the larger ship instead. Still, any ship that dallied near the Grand Citadel probably had some nefarious purpose, and Lando couldn't bring himself to grieve the ships misfortune too deeply. 

"Whenever you have a moment, oh most esteemed droid companion, some hyperspace navigation points would be most appreciated," Poe said, a teasing affection to his overdone formality. 

The droid's beeped response was far less polite, and Poe laughed, even as he accelerated the yacht even faster, dipping and diving to make the ship harder to hit. 

Finally, after more close calls than Lando cared to be involved in, BeeBee gave a triumphant squeak and a hyperspace route popped up on the screen. Poe punched in the navigation points so fast Lando's eyes blurred trying to watch him, and with a final flourish of movement Poe grabbed the hyperspace lever and threw it back, plunging the ship into the liminal space that stretched the stars. 

* * *

Poe gave a sigh of relief, collapsing back against the chair as he ran his fingers through his hair. A worried energy thrummed in his limbs, a lingering despair that everything could still go wrong. So much had, lately. 

But Lando seemed not to share his concerns, sitting easily in the chair across from him, looking over at Poe with a hooded glance that made Poe's blood sing. "Skilled flying," Lando said with real appreciation, and Poe couldn't help but preen. 

"Commander Poe Dameron's Rescue Service, at your pleasure," he said with a grin. "Though I'm not sure you needed rescuing. You seemed to have Armitage well in hand there." 

Lando wrinkled his nose in distaste. "Sooner or later I would have needed to either kill the man or marry him, so believe me, I'm grateful for the excuse to claim a prior engagement." Lando looked at Poe, and there was a weight to his gaze. "Speaking of which, I presume you saved me for a reason." 

"You've been a long friend to Queen Organa," Poe said. "Seeing as how she is off chasing down her recluse brother, it seemed only fair that I make sure of your safety." 

"I've not been a friend to her Resistance. At least, she hasn't demanded I make my support obvious and known." Lando inclined his head. "I presume that is the price tag of this little adventure." 

"You're free, and you've made me no promises," Poe said quickly. "You are well known to have a skill at negotiations, and I'll not be so clumsy as to try to outclass you. I will simply say plainly that the Resistance, after its recent setbacks, needs funds, and it needs friends even more. You're support would mean a great deal." 

"My support could come at a heavy cost to those that look to me as their lord." 

"Which is why Queen Organa hasn't asked it of you. She still doesn't," Poe said. "While I do hope this rescue endears you to us, and perhaps I even hope that your time with the impostor Viscount has illuminated just how dangerous the Prince's reign can be, you are not compelled." 

Lando looked pensive. Then, a black humor crossed his face, and he snorted. "Did it occur to you," Lando said, his tone casual, "that you would have been well within your rights to demand my support as payment for the scurrilous way I treated you?" 

Lando had been acting to save them both. There was no small chance that Armitage would have recognized Poe's face, and Lando had ensured that Armitage's eyes had been nowhere near that particular feature of Poe’s. Certainly, Armitage had gotten an eyeful of parts that Poe would rather have kept private, but...

The memory of Lando's hand, warm and certain on him, slowly sliding up his leg, shivered through Poe. The thrill of danger, the unwelcome audience, the suggestive touch…

Poe knew himself well enough to know that the scenario would keep him company during future 'fresher trips. And what if Lando had needed to go further to prove his interest, had needed to slot between Poe's legs, hike the robe up past Poe's ass, had needed to cover Poe's body with his own…? Poe cut off that bit of reverie before it could go much further

No, he couldn't imagine trying to leverage that bit of quick thinking, no matter how guilt-ridden Lando seemed to be over it. 

"That was what was needed to keep us safe. I bear you no ill will. In fact..." Poe paused, giving Lando a considering look. "We're resource-poor, at the moment, but I feel safe in saying that the Resistance will find ways to make sure its friends are _well rewarded._" Poe did his best to put some lilting suggestion on those last words, ducking his head so he could look up at Lando through his lashes. 

Lando's reaction was not exactly what Poe was hoping for. Lando went odd and still, his face falling into an impassive mask. He shifted in the co-pilot’s chair until his body was facing entirely forward, no longer open to Poe. 

Poe backpedalled quickly, "I can see I've made you uncomfortable. Apologies. It was not my intent." 

"Commander Dameron," Lando said slowly, a deliberate fall back into formality that made Poe curse his words. "I find the idea of taking someone to bed whose only interest in being there is to whore themselves—even for a good cause—to be distasteful in the extreme. And now I find myself once again concerned by my transgressive behavior. Perhaps I shall discuss appropriate reparations with Leia." 

Poe stiffened in the chair. Embarrassment prickled up and down his spine at the rejection, mingled with a sickly shame churning in his gut at the way Lando had debased his offer. All of that was soon flooded over with anger at the idea that Lando would dare go to Queen Organa over this, as if Poe were some unruly ward of the Queen's that Lando had ruined in some scandalous affair. "Baron Calrissian, I thank you to _not_," Poe snapped back to Lando. "This matter is between us." 

"If Leia is willing to use you as some sort of..._recruitment tool_," Lando's words were fierce with disgust, "then it damn well involves her too." 

"Use me as—" Poe cut himself off, grinding his teeth together. "I was _flirting_, you ass! If you're uninterested, just say so. No need to go about throwing scurrilous aspersions on my character." 

Lando blinked, that rigid anger draining off his face, something uncertain replacing it as he said, "You offered yourself in exchange for my loyalty. Please explain how I was supposed to take that any other way." 

"That was clearly—" Poe replayed the conversation in his head, then let out a loud sigh. "I suppose you don't actually know me, do you? It was intended to be a scandalous bit of coquetry, not an actual scandal." 

"Ah." 

Lando fell silent after that. Poe's urge was to break it, but Lando seemed deep in thought, and Poe was loathe to disrupt him.

Finally, Lando shifted, a short exhale the only warning Poe got before he started speaking again. "I think you may have managed to hit upon an unexpectedly sensitive section of my conscience. During the last war, there were those that accused me of doing precisely what I thought you were. And another cadre of so-called friends who assumed that I had applied my favors to either the Prince or the Princess, in order to gain a better position. And then...to hear you offer..." Lando sighed, trailing off. "I assumed the worst. I'm sorry, Poe." 

Poe smiled, to hear the use of his given name again. "Forgiven, Lando," he said, offering the intimacy in return. 

"I didn't," Lando said suddenly. "I'm not sure why I suddenly feel it's important you know, but I didn't. I loved Luke and Leia both, each in their own way. I wouldn't have cheapened it." 

Poe inclined his head. "I think I understand some of that. I would sooner die than offer insult to my Queen. I apologize that my careless words brought up such painful memories." 

Lando took a deep, fortifying breath next to him. "I think it's possible, Poe, that we may be succumbing to melodrama." 

"Stars forbid," Poe murmured. "Can't have that. It would be a pox on both our reputations." 

Lando chuckled. "I'll keep the secret if you will." 

"Deal." 

"Ah, I realized in all the...distraction, I never reassured you aloud. The Resistance has my friendship. And my funds. For however long those last, considering I strongly suspect the Viscount will encourage the traitor princeling to revoke my lands by force." Lando sighed. "But that would have happened anyway, from the moment Lord Hux set his sight on me. Best I can control how it goes." 

Poe winced. "I can understand that. Not in the sense of the peerage, naturally, I'm naught but the common-born son of a pair of landed knights. But as Commander of the Black Fleet..." Poe trailed off, a sadness washing over him. "I did what I could to lead them well. But the odds were overwhelming. We lost. I did all I could and we still lost." 

"That's the way it goes sometimes. All we can do is lose with as much style as possible." Lando reached across the space between the two of them and, after a moment's hesitation, laid his hand down on Poe's forearm in a deliberate gesture. "You are mortal, and fallible. That doesn't mean you're not a good man." 

Poe smiled over at Lando, and when their eyes met, something sudden and captivating washed over Poe's senses. His breath caught and he was utterly incapable of looking away. Lando's eyes spoke to his kindness, there was a softness to his handsome face that pulled Poe in, just as surely as if Lando were planning a seduction. 

Lando's own breath caught in turn, and on the exhale he whispered, "Poe." 

Such a soft noise, and yet it held such significance. Poe suddenly felt a stirring of want, his desire that had been quashed with Lando's sharp rebuke stoked again to burning in the face of Lando's kindness. 

"Lando," Poe said, softly, "please." 

Lando's body followed his hand. Never breaking the touch along Poe's forearm, Lando moved up out of his chair and forward, until he fell to his knees next to Poe. "Poe," Lando said again, the hand on Poe's arm tightening. "If you'd truly allow me—" 

Poe swallowed the words with a kiss. He started it off gentle, uncertain of the welcome his affections would receive. But Lando was already rising to meet him, and the kiss quickly became heated. Passion, desperation, an affirmation of life, one of them, all of them, drove the need. Poe's hands fisted into Lando's collar, and he nearly crawled out of the chair there and then. 

BB-8 chirped from where they were plugged into the console, interrupting Poe's lust-fueled desperation with the information that they had secured control of the ship's navigation. Said ship was apparently still several hours away from hyperdrive exit, and considering the fact that BB-8 had the piloting aspect well in hand, could Poe and Lando please take their human mating ritual somewhere less traumatizing for young droid eyes?

Poe and Lando broke apart. Poe fought down laughter, and looked at Lando, who was staring back at Poe with desire-blown pupils and a disarrayed shirt. Still, Lando managed to pull together enough gravitas to say, very seriously, "Well, you heard the droid. Besides, we're in a pleasure yacht. It'd be a shame not to enjoy it."

Lando made it back to his feet, with a slight rueful wince as he rubbed at his kneecaps (which Poe, in an admirable show of restraint, did not comment upon), and held his hands out to Poe. 

Poe took his hands, and Lando guided them with unerring accuracy (even though he was walking backwards, a feat which much impressed Poe, when he took time to think on it) out of the cockpit, through a luxurious looking central area, and through a door, which was revealed to have a large bed covered with plush-looking blankets. Poe felt lust twist in him again, at the thought of what they might get up to on the bed. 

Poe tugged Lando in closer, wrapped him up in another kiss that ended unsatisfactorily when Lando pushed back, giving Poe's attire a critical once-over. "We really must divest you of that hideous thing," Lando mused. 

Poe looked down, and was slightly surprised to find he was still in his servant's robe. He had forgotten, in all the rush. He looked back up at Lando with a grin. "Sure you don't want to push me face-down and fuck me in it?" 

Lando's eyes went wide and his mouth went flat, his face a study in conflict—some part of him clearly liking the idea, another part finding it abhorrent. "I think," he finally said, reaching for Poe's belt, "that considering our prior conversation, I would prefer not to have this trapping of obligation around." 

Poe nodded, his every nerve thrumming in excitement as Lando deliberately undid the knots of the belt, knowing how soon the garment would be pushed off of him, and he would be left bare. 

Lando smiled, as he undid the last loop. He looked up and caught Poe's eyes again. "Besides, I suspect that the robe is doing your figure no favors, and I'm very excited for the chance to reveal the truth of it." He reached forward and parted the robe, his warm hands touching the skin of Poe's torso for the first time. 

Lando's hands traced down Poe's chest, scraping along Poe's nipples, down his ribs, his waist, the curve of his hip. Poe whined when Lando's touch skirted just shy of his rapidly-thickening erection, instead flitting around to grip Poe's ass and haul him into a kiss. Poe groaned as his nude front pressed up against the the silks that Armitage had permitted Lando to continue to wear. Poe had to make an effort not to thrust wildly against the soft fabric. There was a danger of spending himself before they even properly started, so appealing was Lando's clothed form. 

Lando, though, seemed perfectly content in the moment, letting his hands roam along the length of Poe's back as he did his best to kiss Poe into insensibility. So Poe took it upon himself to move things along, shrugging the robe off of his shoulders so he was properly nude, the traditional dress code for the occasion. He was torn as to his next maneuver. Did he help Lando achieve his own appropriate attire, or enjoy the fact that his partner was overdressed? 

Lando solved that issue by stepping back and giving Poe an appreciative once-over, as he started to undo the buttons on his shirt. Poe quickly stepped up to help with Lando's belt. 

"You're gorgeous," Lando murmured as Poe stepped closer. "I can't wait to get my hands all over you." 

Poe shivered, and worked even faster. 

Once Lando had also been divested of unneeded layers (though Poe did think fondly on the silk, and decided if the opportunity for another private occasion with Lando presented itself, he might have some ideas about unequal nudity) Poe let himself sprawl backwards on the bed, laying himself out as a temptation, the tips of his fingers lightly playing along his stiffening cock. 

"You'd make a fine muse for any artist," Lando said, standing next to the bed, slightly slack-jawed. "I could snap a holo and display it in a gallery, no one would protest its placement." 

Poe arched his back slightly, pointing his toes. "I'm hoping for a rather more interactive experience than a gallery would provide." 

"We're getting there," Lando laughed in response, and circled around to the bed's nightstand. Whatever he found in there made him give a hum of satisfaction. He turned back to Poe with a grin, tossing a bottle of something onto the bed before he climbed on himself. As he approached, he asked, "So, do you have any plans for how you want this to go?" 

Poe grabbed for Lando's wrist, guiding Lando up and over him. He sighed in satisfaction as he threaded his legs around Lando's waist, feeling warm and luxurious as Lando's body covered him. "I have the feeling you're the type that likes to take charge, _my Lord_," Poe said, purring the formal title as it it were the most intimate of nicknames. 

Lando reached down and ran his thumb across Poe's cheek. "And what about you, _Commander_?" he asked, echoing Poe's tone perfectly. "Aren't you usually the sort to bark orders?" 

Poe, in response, stretched his own arms up and behind his head. A deliberate motion of surrender. "I've had my fill of responsibility, lately. I'm happy to cede the field to you. Now, if you care for a rematch at some point, we can negotiate who does the ordering." 

Lando gave a soft smile, shifting so he was cupping Poe's cheek. "I think I can abide by that plan." 

"Excellent," Poe leaned into the hand, nuzzling against it. "Now fuck me." 

"Oh, done with orders are you, Commander?" Lando teased. 

Poe stuck out his bottom lip. "Please." 

Lando smiled. "That's more like it." 

Then he ran his fingers through Poe's hair and grabbed, forcing Poe's head up as he started leaving sharp nipping kisses down Poe's neck. 

More like it indeed, Poe thought, as he wrapped his legs around Lando's waist all the tighter, whining as he enjoyed the touch. 

Once Lando began a project, he appeared to find it his duty to see it through in the grandest manner possible. The bottle thrown on the bed was opened, and almost before Poe knew what had happened, Lando was thrusting inside him. Every move was determined, clear intent and clear follow-through. Lando fucked him hard, and Poe shuddered to feel so claimed. 

It had been a long time since he felt free enough to give up control so completely. It was a very compelling sensation. 

Poe collapsed back against the bed, untucking his arms from behind his head and placing his wrists next to where Lando's hands sat braced on the bed, one on either side of Poe's head. Poe bumped his wrists against the hands with a whine, the only speech he was capable of at the moment. Lando looked up to meet his eyes. With an arched eyebrow, Lando moved his hands over to wrap around Poe's wrists, then _pushed_, pinning Poe against the bed. Poe gave a pleased gasp and managed to pull together enough to say, "Oh yes, stars yes, fuck, please, more..." 

Lando actually growled at that, moving faster and harder. He pounded Poe until Poe was moaning at every stroke, the ache of being taken so hard dancing with the rising pleasure of the friction. Poe squirmed, not really wanted to get free, but just wanting the _fight_ of things a bit. Lando didn't release his wrists, and Poe's pleased noises redoubled, so glad he was to have something to push against. 

"Oh fuck, Poe, fuck, you're..." Lando made as if to slow down, but Poe tightened his legs and thrust his hips at the same time, and Lando was pulled back in. A moment later, Lando gave a full-body shiver and Poe felt the pulse of Lando's cock deep inside him. "Damn," Lando said quietly, as he slowly released Poe's wrists. "I wasn't ready for that to be over." 

"Sorry," Poe said, not feeling at all apologetic. He reached up and tangled his fingers in Lando's hair, tugging him down for another kiss. Poe was still frantic with want, though he tried to tamp down the lust in deference to Lando's afterglow. It was a mixed success; the kiss was gentle, but Poe was not quite able to prevent himself from thrusting up against Lando's hip. 

Lando gave a soft chuckle. "Well, I suppose it doesn't have to be over just yet. And you do need to learn some patience, young whelp." The gentle affection in his tone took any possible sting out of the insult. Lando pushed back, so he could look at Poe properly. "What say you, Commander, are you interested in giving up control a bit longer?" 

Poe rolled his hips again, chasing the friction of Lando's body. "I'm not certain how much longer I have in me," he admitted, as the pleasure of that simple movement pushed him that much closer to the edge. 

"Mmm," Lando said, giving a short rock into Poe, his cock not yet softened. "Perhaps we'll begin your instruction in patience with the second round." Lando carefully started pulling backward. 

"Second round?" Poe said hopefully, fighting back a disappointing groan as the feeling of pleasant fullness slipped away. 

"I don't see why not," Lando said, offering Poe a smile that was almost shy. "Presuming you're not opposed to things." 

Poe hastened to reassure him. "Very much in fav—Oh!"

Lando smirked, the expression somehow clear despite the girth of Poe's cock perched between his lips. Poe gasped at the wet heat, fighting to keep from thrusting into Lando's mouth. Lando seemed to sense his difficulty, and soon Lando's palms curved over his hips, pinning Poe against the bed as his mouth worked a leisurely up and down. 

The pace was maddening. Poe was nearly to tears, begging Lando to go faster, to move just that little bit _more_. But his pleading had no effect beyond spurring Lando's determination to be deliberate. An eternity passed, possibly two, before Lando gave a short hum and worked his tongue in just the right way, and Poe spilled with a heady shout into Lando's mouth. 

Lando swallowed every drop with practiced ease, before stalking his way back up Poe's body again and collapsing, with very little ado, atop Poe's chest. "I am exhausted," he announced, snuggling against Poe's neck. 

Hesitantly, Poe brought his arms around Lando's back. He grew more confident in the gesture when Lando responded with a happy sigh, and cuddled closer against Poe's neck. 

"I do hope I'm not inconveniencing you overmuch, but you make an excellent pillow, Commander Dameron," Lando murmured against his skin. 

"One of many skills I am happy to put to your service, Lord Calrissian," Poe replied. Feeling greatly daring, he leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of Lando's head.

Lando gave a soft sigh of pleasure. "I could stay here for hours." 

Poe let his hand trace down Lando's spine. "While I'm not opposed, I would greatly appreciate a quick trip to the 'fresher first. Prevent any unfortunate...stickiness." 

"Ah, there's your legendary tactical genius," Lando said with a smile as he hauled himself upright again, giving a soft groan as he did so. "Share?" 

They cleaned, and Poe spent more time than was necessary touching Lando's body. It was impossible to stop, so appealing was it, gleaming with rivulets from the freshwater shower. (Poe boggled as to what sort of disregard of credits was required for such a luxury, but as the ship was a stolen one, he had no problems indulging.) However, despite some meaningful strokes and pats, it was evident that the predicted second round was not readily coming. 

Lando and Poe tumbled back into the bed, Poe more than ready to provide Lando with the requested hours of cuddling. He craved the contact too, partly because Lando was incredibly appealing and a joy to touch. But Poe also knew he had been running a long time, and he was long overdue for a recharge. 

How much of this, Poe couldn't help but wonder, was because Lando had shown up in Poe's life at the right time? Not all of it, not even most, Poe thought. Poe felt he knew Lando, from his glib charm to his hedonistic tendencies to his unwavering loyalty. They were crafted from the same mold, and had even suffered some of the same losses. This was no surface connection. That did not, however, mean it was a lasting one. 

Poe fought down a sigh as he cuddled Lando close. Lasting or not, he'd enjoy the time they had together the best he could. 

* * *

Lando woke up from his nap feeling lazy in the finest form of the word. Warm, pressed up against a sweet-smelling attractive body, there was little more he could ask for in the entire galaxy. 

The owner of the aforementioned attractive body, one extraordinary Commander Poe Dameron, shifted slightly, letting out a soft sigh as he squeezed Lando's shoulder. 

"Are you alright?" Lando asked, his words made rusty by sleep. He started shifting, in anticipation of being asked to move in deference to Poe's bladder. 

Poe startled underneath him, muscles tensing. "Entirely fine." 

Lando gave a skeptical hum. "I don't believe you." It was a statement made extraordinarily rude by its bluntness. But Lando felt he had Poe's measure now, and he figured the man would appreciate it. 

True to Lando's predictions, Poe laughed. "And what cause have I given you to doubt my integrity?" he asked. 

"The way you sigh, the way you tense....Commander Dameron, I'm growing quite worried that you've come over with another bout of melodrama." 

"Mmm, nothing so dire, I think," Poe replied as his calloused pilot's hands traced their way along Lando's bicep. "Just a spell of romanticism, easily enough quashed." 

"Oh, really?" The words came out a little too high. Lando found himself pleased enough by the thought that Poe had been affected by their time together that he was unable to maintain his characteristic poker face. 

Giving into the urge to make his interest plainly known, Lando teased, "Considering keeping me, are you? I still haven't atoned for my shameful behavior during your rescue, and have fact compounded it by utterly debauching you. You have even more ammunition to compel me to marriage, now." 

"Ah..." Poe did not return Lando's teasing in kind. Instead, far too serious, he replied. "I suspect that I find the idea of compelling you to marriage as loathsome as you found the idea of compelling me to your bed. We would be a poor match in normal circumstances. I would not let your honor bind you to that." 

"I…" Lando was dumbstruck. He noted the occasion, as it had only happened rarely in his life. And yet the idea that Poe had entertained a union, but dismissed it because he thought _himself_ a poor match was practically beyond belief. "You were truly wishing to marry me?" 

"No," Poe said quickly, and Lando tried not to feel too hurt by that. "I wouldn't presume to wish. Maybe a small dream, quickly brought around to practicality. I would like to offer…" Poe took a deep breath, as if to fortify himself. "Lando, I know you've been hurt by the idea of wartime scandal. But, if you didn't find yourself too opposed to the idea, I would appreciate you considering a more regular affair." 

"Affair?" Lando repeated, trying to wrap his mind around the idea. 

"I won't deceive you. The Resistance is a hotbed of rumor and gossip. I would be as discreet as I am able, naturally." Poe's hand squeezed once more on Lando's bicep. "But I found the idea of landing and letting you walk away...bluntly, agonizing. So. I had to at least offer. I trust you enough to know you won't fault my daring."

Lando blinked, pushing up off of Poe to look down at him, astounded to find an entirely serious expression on the man's face. "You're offering to make yourself my unwedded consort?" 

"Not even so official. I don't need promises. I just want to see you again." Poe was heartbreaking in his vulnerability, looking up at Lando with earnest brown eyes. 

"Marry me," Lando demanded. It was graceless, rushed, and a ridiculous thing to order with Poe stretched out naked beneath him. And yet it was the only response Lando could give. 

Poe's eyes narrowed. "I just said—" 

"You're wrong, you're a fine match, marry me," Lando felt breathless with the force of the words coming out of him, but he felt the need to make sure Poe heard it. Lando couldn't imagine why Poe felt he didn't have the standing to demand something more formal of Lando. He should. Poe deserved better than to be anyone's secret. 

Unless that was all he wanted to be. 

"Do you not want marriage?" Lando asked, belatedly. 

"I—" Poe struggled his way out from under Lando, rolling so that he was sitting next to him. Lando sat up as well, wanting to meet this conversation on equal footing. "Are you always so infuriating? You are a landed lord of the realm, and we both know you hold close to a duchy, regardless of your formal title." 

"It's really more of a marquessate," Lando muttered.

"Right." Poe arched his eyebrows. "Only a marquessate. I, on the other hand, am the common-born son of a pair of knights who traded the chance of titles for freedom from war. I have no shame in my status and great love for my family, but I am well aware that I am not a contender for your hand. Please don't insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise." 

Lando blinked. "You are the Queen's right hand."

Poe gave Lando a patient look, as if Lando were being particularly slow on his sums that day. "The Resistance is not a proper military force. I'll get no pension from their ranks. It is a kindness that you call me Commander, but we both know that in the broader galaxy I am simply Mister Dameron." 

Lando covered his face with his hand. "Poe, you idiot." 

Poe stiffened next to him. Lando dragged his hand down until he could peek over the edge. "How do you think I got my damn holding in the first place? I was in the same position you now occupy. So let me tell you, either we lose and we're all dead so we might as well do what we want in the meantime, or we win and you are going to be rewarded beyond your wildest imagination."

"I don't do this for a reward," Poe said uncomfortably, looking away. 

"The best never do," Lando dropped his hand, laying it on Poe's knee. "But that doesn't mean you're not…" Lando trailed off, as a thought occurred to him. "Hm. Mayhap you shouldn't marry me." 

"I am very near to declaring you a tease, to promise troth and then withhold it," Poe informed Lando, running his fingers through his hair in an annoyed little gesture. 

"Not because of the circumstances of your birth, or any nonsense like that. But, if I were a betting man, and I am, I'd wager that by the time this war is over, Leia will have named you her heir." 

"Now you're just being ridiculous!" Poe blurted out. 

"Who do you think it's going to be?" Lando asked, spreading his palms. "I don't care if Ben slaughters all his accomplices and comes back on bended knee, he's not getting reinstated. I somehow don't see Leia being inclined to produce new heirs the traditional way. And the royal bloodline is short on cousins, at the moment." 

"The queen's brother…" Poe said stiffly. 

"I know him better than you. The only way Luke agrees to come back and play heir is if Leia assures him she has an alternative plan in place." 

"That doesn't mean...no." Poe shook his head. "I…you're just trying to confuse the issue." 

"I'm right," Lando said, with utter confidence. "But, fine. Hypotheticals aside…" Lando reached out and took Poe's hands in his. "I look at you and I see someone I understand." 

"We barely know each other," Poe protested. 

"I think you know what I'm talking about," Lando pressed, his tone gentle. "And I recognize that I am being recklessly fast in this. But you deserve better than the insult of being someone's bedwarmer." Lando brushed a kiss against the back of Poe's knuckles, "I couldn't do that to you." 

"We could make the argument that you're my bedwarmer," Poe pointed out, his cheeks red as he looked at his hands, still held by Lando. 

Lando hummed, ignoring that bit of semantics. "I want the chance to build an intimacy that could last with you, even outside of wartime." Lando sighed, feeling suddenly very old. "I've had my share of assignations. This was a particularly delightful example. But if we were to continue, I want this to be something more." 

Poe's hands tightened in his and Lando felt, ridiculously, nervous. He had lived decades, a lifetime, without offering to commit himself as he had now. He offered himself to a young man who, if he had any sense, would reject Lando out of hand. The heir-apparent certainly could make a better match than a hero a decade or two past his prime. 

And yet, stubbornly, some part of Lando insisted that he was the best match for Poe. He understood Poe, understood the charm he wrapped himself in like a cloak, understood the core of devotion that drove him. And if Lando was right about Leia's intentions, he understood the tangled nest of vipers that made up the court. Not many had successfully ridden out the tumultuous churn from royal court to Imperial, then back to royal, to this current strange mix revolutionary ideals masking an authoritarian core the traitor prince had ushered in. Lando knew how to survive at the political game, and an adopted king would need a partner who could double as an adviser. 

Poe took a deep breath, and Lando prepared to muster those arguments, if needed. He wouldn't compel Poe, but he also wouldn't let Poe walk away from real affection due to ridiculous notions of breeding. 

But when Poe wiggled a hand free from Lando's grip, he used that hand to lift it to Lando's chin, bringing it up so that Lando's eyes met his own. "You're serious," Poe said, a sort of wonder in his voice. 

"Not often. But on this occasion, yes." Lando inclined his head. 

"I..." Poe's hand remained on Lando's chin as he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. It should have been a ridiculous motion for a man sitting naked on a bed, but Poe managed to summon such gravitas that Lando was utterly captivated. "Lando. I do not accept your offer." 

Lando waited, deciding to hear the whole of what Poe had to say before he argued with him. 

"I do, however, give you permission to court me." 

"Court you?" Lando asked, surprise overriding his recent commitment. 

Poe dropped his hand, smiling. "Obviously the portion of courting where we go nowhere with each other unescorted has already been rendered rather moot." He gave his own naked form a significant glance, before glancing back up at Lando with a wry smile. "But we both have enough scandal about us, we can take a little more. You're the one who seems intent on matrimony. Pursue me." 

"An intriguing concept," Lando said slowly. The formal courting of the marriage market had never held much appeal for him. He didn't _need_ a spouse, and he always had been rather enamored of the idea that he would find a worthy partner unexpectedly. And so he had. 

But now that person had been found, and was asking for the exact sort of ritual that Lando had always hoped to avoid. "Why?" Lando finally asked. "This is not a challenge. I am genuinely curious." 

Poe rolled his shoulders, falling out of his captivating formality. "In honesty, because I suspect a taste of the scorn you will get from publicly pursuing a common-born lover will be enough to put you off your interest." 

Lando clucked disapprovingly. 

"But more than that," Poe added, raising his eyebrows at Lando's chiding. "If you show some diligence in pursuing me, then if you are right and my Queen has lost all reason, even as her heir-apparent, I'll have ample room to claim prior troth to you." 

"And if you were Prince Dameron? Do you think you'd still want a lowly Baron?" Lando asked, tilting his head and giving a soft smile. 

"I'd want you all the more," Poe answered quickly, much to the pleasure of Lando's ego. "I'm not so much of a fool that I think I could wrestle the royal court into submission on my own." Poe paused, before continuing softly, "But that is a long ways away, and there is a hard war between now and then." 

"A war I'm joining you in," Lando reminded him. Lando squeezed the hand he still held. "If you'll give me permission to bestow affections publicly, then that is what I'll do." 

Poe sighed. "Are you certain I can't convince you to a scandalous affair? It seems less work." 

"No more than I can seem to persuade you of the many joys of matrimony," Lando informed him with a smile. "As I will not abide a secret affair, and you refuse a private marriage, it seems we are bound to public affection." 

Poe laughed. "Well, we are both performers, in our own way. I imagine we'll find some fun." He shook his head, a rueful smile on his face. "I may need you to stop my queen from murdering me." 

"Did she send you on this mission?" Lando asked after a moment's thought.

"She did," Poe affirmed. He paused. "You don't think that…" 

"She is a clever woman, our queen. I'd not be so arrogant as to believe I can surprise her." Lando reached over, running the backs of his knuckles along Poe's cheek. "She's been trying to find me a match me for years. She must have known I'd be taken with you."

Poe gave a quick swallow, glancing away. "Charmer," he said, not sounding displeased. 

"I'll wear the title gladly." 

"Hm," Poe said, giving Lando a regarding once-over. "Then I suppose I'd better become accustomed to it. Here," Poe moved forward suddenly, pushing Lando back against the bed, "I'll give you a chance to charm me some more." Poe glided confidently forward to cover Lando's body and Lando shuddered under the touch. 

"This is hardly the chaste devotion of formal courting," Lando said, half teasing, half protesting.

"I'll give you fidelity," Poe said, as he kissed his way along Lando's neck. "But I've no interest in chastity, and neither do you." 

"Mmm, " Lando said, bringing his hands up to cup the curve of Poe's ass, "I would give you chaste devotion, if you asked it." He squeezed, grinding up against Poe, "But I will confess to being grateful you do not." 

Poe laughed. "You court a pilot, my Lord. We are not known for our temperance." He paused, giving Lando a wicked glance. "Or for our patience."

"Yes, I did promise to address that, didn't I." Lando edged a leg out from beside Poe and braced, then used that leverage to roll them both over, enjoying the shocked expression on Poe's face as he did so. "So perhaps I should take command once more." 

"I've no objections. We will have plenty enough time to try it the other way 'round later," Poe said cheerfully, crossing his wrists above his head in an offering. "That reminds me, I had some ideas regarding your silks I really should share with you."

"Tell me," Lando ordered. He laid one hand in the center of Poe's chest, and in the beat of Poe's heart beneath his palm, Lando felt his future. "Tell me everything." 

**Author's Note:**

> I had so much fun writing this, I can't even tell you. The narration was a great deal of fun to play with, and Lando and Poe both just chewed up the scenery. 
> 
> Side note: I'm sad I didn't manage to work the cut direct/cut indirect into this one. Next time I write regency. Next time. 
> 
> Also please join me in imagining just how FANCY the Prince Dameron and Baron Calrissian would be together. Style icons, clearly.


End file.
